Skating rinks turned to puddles and pooches pranced in the park yesterday as the city dipped the furthest into winter ever without a snowflake – and meteorologists predicted another record would be shattered today when the temperature hits a positively balmy 69.

“Everyone’s on the dog run,” said dog-walker Amanda Sternberg as she played with a chocolate lab named Biggs in Union Square. “It’s great to get him outside. When it’s freezing, it’s impossible.”

Tourists and locals alike were basking in the bizarre January heat wave – it averages 38 degrees on a January day in the city – and summer-centric businesses were booming.

“It was very good, very warm, extra warm,” said New York Apple Tours’ Kokou Signibo as he smiled at the extra customers lining up for double-decker bus tickets outside the Empire State’s Building.

He said today “is going to be beautiful for business. Just like a summer’s day.”

AccuWeather meteorologist Dom Kines said the high for today – which could be as much as 69 in the afternoon – would easily shatter the previous record for the day of 63 degrees in 1950. But the all-time January high of 72 degrees also set in 1950 looks safe for now.

The above-average temperatures for the last few weeks have pushed the city past the 1878 benchmark for the longest winter period without snow, but that looks set to end late Tuesday, when Kines predicted the first snowflakes could finally fall in the Big Apple.

The news will come as a welcome relief for New Jersey ski resorts such as Mountain Creek, which closed its lifts again yesterday and urged season pass holders on its Web site to head to the ski slopes of Vermont – even though only half the trails are open there.

But in Manhattan yesterday, the high of 62 degrees didn’t deter some winter sports, like ice skating at Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park. Skaters, however, found more water than ice and a fleet of moppers were frantically pushing the excess water down the drain.

“It’s water-skating,” exclaimed Pete Sederman as he maneuvered through puddles alongside 10-year-old Italian tourist Miriam Bolte, who had just face-planted on the crowded rink.

Business was also good for high-end coffee shops, which did a roaring trade on expensive cold treats like iced cappuccinos and frozen lattes. Even bike stores were seeing a surge in business.

“Head and tail lights are going gangbusters because people are riding to work and it gets dark early,” said Eric Schofield, manager of Bicycle Habitat in SoHo, which had record December sales.